THE MASTER LIST of comic book stores & trading card stores in Louisiana USA

Additional Store Info & Customer Reviews

Louisiana's Double Play

Store Photos:

Product Lines Stocked: New Comics, Back Issue Comics, Small Press Comics, Imported Comics, Manga Comics, Golden Age Comics, Silver Age Comics, Graphic Novels, TPB's, Magazines, Iported Magazines, Sports Cards, Sports Memorabilia, Non-Sports Cards, CCG's, Pokemon, Magic, Comic Supplies, Gaming Supplies, T-Shirts/Apparel, Prints/Posters, Statues/Models, Action Figures, New Toys, Vintage Toys, Imported Toys, Anime Videos, DVD/VHS Movies

Online Order Capabilities: Yes, via Shopping Cart

Credit Cards Accepted: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover

Hours of Operation:

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
NOON 6:00 PM	11:00 AM 7:00 PM	11:00 AM 7:00 PM	11:00 AM 7:00 PM	11:00 AM 7:00 PM	11:00 AM 7:00 PM	10:00 AM 6:00 PM

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Owner/Employee Info/Comments:

Store Review:
PLEASE NOTE: The views expressed here are not those of THE MASTER LIST, but rather, those of people who have visited the store listed above. Please take all opinions expressed here at the value of what they are: opinions.

I am a life-long comic book reader/collector. I live about an hour away from Baton Rouge, and use The Master List and other resources to locate comic shops I don't know about. Once I find one, I pay the store a visit and generally buy something, because the medium is suffering and even more, comic specialty shops. I felt compelled to write this review after going to LDP last week for what must have been my tenth visit in the last five years or so. My main gripe with this store and its employees/owners may seem small, but I feel it warrants comment here.

I don't want to be insulting, but I love comics and want them to remain in their current form, not simply as film franchise and merchandising fodder. To begin with, every time I have gone to Double Play, I've found the employees to be very unhelpful. They exude an attitude of being too busy in the back room to answer customer questions and look for comics, etc. In fact, I've gone to Double Play a couple of times and there were no employees around. This is troubling from a service standpoint, but also, it seems to me this could lead to theft and other problems.

Last Wednesday, I was required to go to Baton Rouge on a work related assignment. Where I had to go was a good fifteen miles away from Double Play, but I made time to head over to Sherwood and look around. The store often has great items I can't find here in Lafayette, despite two very good stores here. I walked in, and found two girls working hard to bag comics at the counter. I checked out the new comics, and looked around at some other items. I decided I wanted to look at a comic, which I thought I wanted to buy. I carefully opened the double-taped bag and began to carefully look through the comic (Astonishing X-Men #1). One of the girls bagging behind me disappeared as I opened the bag, and reappeared two minutes later from the back room to politely inform me that comics aren't supposed to be read. I was shocked, but said "ok" and carefully replaced the comic in its bag.

I know this may not seem like a big deal, but the truth is, this kind of overprotective catering to the long-time comic buyer/collector can only do damage to the direct market and the comics industry by extension. Let's face it, the majority of people today still think comics are "kid's stuff" and don't even know there are direct market stores in existence. What little the general public knows of comics comes from new comics movies, which are very successful and bring in new readers. But how can a novice reader, who only knows what the Spider-Man movie tells him about the character, be expected to learn more--and hopefully, become a regular comic reader--if he can't even open and/or read a comic?!

I was baffled by this "rule" at Double Play and frankly, turned off to returning there in the future. Where I live, the local stores keep their comics unbagged and provide comfortable atmospheres for looking through and yes, God forbid, READING a comic book. These stores weathered the exploitive comic booms of the '90's and survive today because they are clean stores run by friendly folks who allow their customers to read their comics before buying them.

I'm sending a copy of this to Double Play's owners via email. I wish them the best, but it's sad to see the only remaining comic specialty store in Baton Rouge maintaining such a stand-offish policy that effectively turns away new readers and new customers. The owners of Double Play should be more friendly. Let customers open and read your comics, not just the regulars who have folders or do advance ordering with Previews. Make Louisiana's Double Play more inviting and fan-friendly, and I promise you'll see an increase in sales and recognition among the comic buying community. You guys have a lot of potential, but this practice of not letting customers read, much less open comics is going to lead to there being NO comic shops in Baton Rouge. I went to a Baton Rouge Books a Million, found a comic I wanted to open at your store but couldn't, and was able to read it and yes, even after doing so, buy it. You lost a sale that day, and my respect.